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United States (USA) 1949
Contemporary Art
Extraordinary talent often emerges from unexpected inspirations. While some great artists have displayed their genius as pre-adolescent prodigies, others have been slow to blossom, showing neither skill nor interest in art until later in life. Consider the case of Gary Hostallero, a brilliant master of mixed-media painting whose beginnings of an artist were not only unexpected, but also touched with humor. As a boy of seven in Hawaii, Gary was supposed to create a thank you card for his 2nd-grade class. But, as he relates with a smile,"I couldn't even draw a good stick figure ! So I found someone else to do the work, and I turned it in as my own. When my teacher saw it, she was dazzled. She said it was the best she had ever seen. I felt so guilty, I decided my only hope to be redeemed was to learn how to draw and paint."Gary did more than merely learn, he excelled. Many people who discover his art today are apt to repeat his 2nd-grade teacher's praise : "It's the best I've ever seen".For as long as he can remeùber, Gary has had an abiding fascination with samurai stories and legends. As a child he was struck by the heroism and valor they recounted. Later the entire bushido and it's philosophical depth became an intricate part of his own ideals. It is natural, then, that Gary's artistic gifts should focus on martial artists whose lives were the ultimate expression of discipline, courage and pursuit of perfection. In his own magnificent works, these princiles are clearly apparent, revealing his quiet passion for creative precision, poetic technique, and majestic impact. After serving as a jet mechanic un the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam,Gary lived in Japan for three years. Whith his Filipino and Korean family background, he found himself attracted to the wisdom, spirit and aesthetics of the Orient like metal to a magnet. In the Japanese mind, the samurai code of dedication to duty was viewed as a guiding light, a way to live each day. He, too, began to walk the path that it illuminated. The inner strenght he had called upon to survive the Tet offensive was channeld into a new personal confidence and commitment.Until this time, Gary's art had been little more than a pastime. Now it has emerged as a powerful force within him. A fine arts major at the University of Hawaii, Gary returned home to seek a career in commercial art. Drawn to the field of aviation and space technology, he secured a position in California with Lockheed Corporation, where for years he created dramatic renderings of advanced technology for the next century. But much of free time was set aside for developing and refinig his own unique works, celebrating the ancient warrior mystique of feudal Japan. It is safe to say that Hostallero's mastery of his media is simply unmatched. Combinig air brush, pen ink, watercolor, acrylics, and fine particles of gold mica, Gary has devisesd an innovative compositional style that truly stands alone in today's art world. ...
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